A City Watch,[1][2][3] or City guard,[4][5] is the military unit charged with defending and maintaining order in a city.
Culture
The City Watch of King's Landing, also known as the gold cloaks,[6] presumably falls under the bailiwick of the master of laws,[N 1] and can be used as guards, foot soldiers, or in some cases, as mounted lancers.[7] The watchmen are not true soldiers,[8] however, and can fare poorly against trained knights.[9][10] The Gold cloaks are not as well trained as the City Watch of Lannisport.[11]
The peace accords between the Free Cities of Pentos and Braavos limit the military strength of Pentos to only their city watch.[2] The holy guard, the city watch of Norvos, is made up of slave soldiers who are trained from childhood by the bearded priests. [12] The tiger cloaks, the city guard of Tyrosh, is also made up of slave soldiers who bear green tiger stripes tattooed across their cheeks, and wear polished helms fashioned like tiger masks.[13][14]
The Civic Guard of Qarth includes some camelry and works in partnership with the Pureborn fleet to defend Qarth.[15]
History
Antiquity
According to Ser Jorah Mormont, the city guard of Qohor has consisted exclusively of Unsullied since the famed Three Thousand of Qohor, the three thousand Unsullied who defeated Khal Temmo's khalasar at the start of the Century of Blood.[4]
Targaryen Era
The City Watch of King's Landing was established under the Targaryen dynasty as early as the reign of Maegor I Targaryen.[16]
During the Faith Militant uprising, the men of the City Watch of Oldtown reinforced the city's defenses and prepared to face the fire from the dragons of House Targaryen.[17]
In 59 AC, many of the City Watch of King's Landing were stricken by the Shivers, leading the streets of the capital to fall into anarchy.[18]
In 104–105 AC, the City Watch of King's Landing was commanded by Prince Daemon Targaryen, who instituted their uniform use of equipment, including the golden cloaks from which they earned their nickname, and several weapons, such as dirk, short sword, and cudgel.[19] During the Dance of the Dragons, the officers of the City Watch of King's Landing were loyal to Queen Alicent Hightower and the greens, but the rank-and-file gold cloaks supported their former commander, Daemon, a leader of the blacks.[20]
Many gold cloaks died during the Winter Fever and the Moon of Madness, so Lord Unwin Peake added five hundred of his own men to the City Watch.[21]
The reputation of the gold cloaks hit an all-time low during the reign of King Aegon IV Targaryen. Aegon promoted his lickspittles within the Watch and used them as go-betweens to make sure the brothels were available for his lusts. It took more than a year for Aegon's son and successor, Daeron II Targaryen, to repair the City Watch after Aegon's death.[22]
After losing to Uthor Underleaf in the Whitewalls tourney, Ser Duncan the Tall briefly considered joining the City Watch of Lannisport or Oldtown.[1]
Baratheon Era
When the Targaryens were overthrown during Robert's Rebellion, the new king, Robert I Baratheon, continued the institution of the gold cloaks, naming Janos Slynt as commander after the death of Manly Stokeworth.[23]
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
The arrival of Khal Drogo's khalasar before the walls of Pentos to await his marriage to Daenerys Targaryen scares the Magisters of the city into doubling the size of the city watch.[24]
Following the death of King Robert, Lord Petyr Baelish, the master of coin, tells Lord Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King, that he will make certain the gold cloaks are loyal to him in the power struggle against Queen Cersei Lannister, with a bribe of six thousand gold dragons.[6] In truth, Petyr bribes the commander Janos Slynt to support the queen, so Eddard is betrayed in the throne room by Janos and his one hundred gold cloaks, who kill the Winterfell men.[25] Janos is rewarded by being named Lord of Harrenhal as well as a member of the Small Council.[26]
King Joffrey Baratheon considers leading the gold cloaks into the field against his uncle, King Renly Baratheon.[27]
A Clash of Kings
The new acting Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister, appoints Ser Jacelyn Bywater, an honorable veteran of Greyjoy's Rebellion, as the new commander of the gold cloaks.[28]
Along with forty knights and squires including Hobber Redwyne, three hundred gold cloaks escort Petyr Baelish to Bitterbridge on his mission to treat with the Tyrells.[29]
Towards the end of his term, Commander Janos had tripled the number of the gold cloaks, making them six thousand strong.[7] Despite this, the new watchmen are poorly trained, and many are drunks, brutes, or cravens who joined for the promise of bread, so Tyrion believes that only a quarter of them (fifteen hundred) are reliable as actual soldiers.[8] When King Stannis Baratheon arrives in the capital to start the Battle of the Blackwater, the Watch constitutes the bulk of the defending force.[30]
A Storm of Swords
The new Hand of the King, Lord Tywin Lannister, appoints Ser Addam Marbrand, a daring cavalry captain, as the new commander of the gold cloaks.[31]
A Dance with Dragons
Daenerys Targaryen, now Queen of Meereen, disbands the city watch of Meereen and replaces them with the Brazen Beasts, who are made up of freedmen and shavepates.[32]
Hizdahr zo Loraq, the new King of Meereen, removes Skahaz mo Kandaq from command of the Brazen Beasts, replacing him with his own cousin, Marghaz zo Loraq, but the Brazen Beasts are still loyal to Skahaz,[33][34] and follow his orders when Skahaz, Ser Barristan Selmy, and Grey Worm arrest Hizdahr and seize control of Meereen.[35]
The new Hand of the King, Lord Mace Tyrell, adds a hundred Highgarden men to the City Watch of King's Landing.[36]
Known City Watches
Known Commanders of the City Watches
- Several, commander of the City Watch of King's Landing
- Pahl (father of Oznak), commander of the City Watch of Meereen[38]
- Ser Moryn Tyrell, commander of the City Watch of Oldtown[40]
Quotes
Watchmen were much in evidence, moving in pairs through the alleys in their gold cloaks and shirts of black ringmail, iron cudgels never far from their hands.[41]
—thoughts of Tyrion Lannister
It takes more than a gold cloak to make a watchman.[7]
Serve. Obey. Protect. Simple vows for a simple man.[39]
—Areo Hotah remembers the vows of the holy guard
A true knight is worth ten guardsmen.[10]
Behind the Scenes
In an early draft of the prologue from A Feast for Crows, the City Watch of Oldtown is known as the "Cobblestone Guard".[42]
Notes
- ↑ Lord Renly Baratheon, the master of laws, threatens to replace Janos Slynt as commander (A Game of Thrones, Eddard VI).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Mystery Knight.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Free Cities: Pentos.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Free Cities: Qohor.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 8, Daenerys I.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 57, Daenerys V.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 47, Eddard XIII.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 41, Tyrion IX.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 49, Tyrion XI.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 60, Jon VIII.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 11, Daenerys II.
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Military Questions, June 21, 2001
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Free Cities: Norvos.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 22, Tyrion VI.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 27, Tyrion VII.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 40, Daenerys III.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Fire & Blood, Prince into King - The Ascension of Jaehaerys I.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Sons of the Dragon.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Policy, Progeny, and Pain.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - War and Peace and Cattle Shows.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Daeron II.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 7, Jon II.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 11, Daenerys II.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 49, Eddard XIV.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 57, Sansa V.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 69, Tyrion IX.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 8, Tyrion II.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 36, Tyrion VIII.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 59, Tyrion XIII.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 4, Tyrion I.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 16, Daenerys III.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 50, Daenerys VIII.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 55, The Queensguard.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Epilogue.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 64, The Ugly Little Girl.
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 2, Daenerys I.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 2, The Captain Of Guards.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Prologue.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 3, Tyrion I.
- ↑ Reddit: Secrets of the Cushing Library: The Long AFFC Prologue by u/gsteff